“Sure, but it's kind of in the family. It actually began with my grandmother. She was from Basel,” my mom responded.

The story dates back to 1911, when my great-grandmother, then a young woman, fell in love with and was engaged to a young man, my great grandfather. Instead of insisting on tying the knot in Switzerland — I’m still not quite sure why — my great-grandfather set off for Argentina in hopes of finding better job opportunities and creating a new life.

Months later, my great-grandmother received word and some money for travel to join him. As an unmarried woman, she made the journey by train, then by boat from Switzerland to Argentina all on her own.

Talk about being ahead of the curve on solo female travel.

After her safe arrival in Argentina, my great-grandparents married and the rest, as they say, is history. My family story continues with my grandmother, my mother and me each leaving home for someplace far away when we were young.

For my mom, she re-established a connection to Switzerland after her parents moved the family there when she was 10. They lived in Geneva eight years, until the time she graduated from high school, whereupon she took a boat to the United States to attend university.

Wanderlust, you see, runs deep in my family.

Mother and daughter, reconnecting on a sunny spring day in Geneva.

So while Dan went off to Malaysia for a 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat (more on that soon), I hopped a train from Berlin to Switzerland with my mom so she could retrace a bit of her history. We spent ten days in Switzerland, beginning with the family roots in Basel, continuing with some of my mom’s favorite childhood spots and finishing with some new parts of the country, too. And we did it all on Switzerland's fabulous — and prompt — train network, including a few of their famous Scenic Trains.

A Photographic Journey Through Switzerland

Although I’d been to Switzerland before, this trip reinforced its essence: order, cleanliness, and plenty of mountains and lakes, all packaged in an often unbelievable fairytale backdrop. I was also amused to discover one of the supposed roots of the Swiss trademark promptness (which I somehow lost in the bloodline). It turns out that Calvinist churchgoers were fined for arriving late to church service. Hence, well-functioning public clocks were put in place to serve a holy purpose for the industrious.

A St. Bernard in Basel. So Swiss.

Switzerland may also not be known for its diversity, but that such a small country has four national languages (German, French, Italian and Romanish) is remarkable. You can feel and hear the regional differences, the quick shifts from canton to canton, and in between.

But if I'm perfectly honest, when I consider our time in Switzerland, I think most often of the stunning mountain and lake landscapes, perfect flower displays, and almost wickedly well-kept alpine villages.

Springtime in Switzerland.

Note: The photos below are in chronological order of our train journey to give you a sense of our itinerary and trajectory.

Old Town Hall, Basel Marktplatz.En route, Basel to Geneva by train. Vineyards and snow-capped mountains near Lausanne.A view from our balcony in Geneva: St. Pierre Cathedral.Jet d'eau and a rainbow, taken aboard a public transport boat across Lake Geneva.A walk on the Montreux lake path. Stop, breathe, enjoy.Château de Chillon, Montreux. Looks like a fairytale, right?Early morning reflections over Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), the view from our balcony in Montreux.Cheese Train begins with wine at 10:30AM? So maybe I am a bad influence on my mother…The Cheese Train carves the hills above Montreux and Lake Geneva.How beautiful rounds of Chalet Bio cheese get their start.How that beautiful cheese ends up, melted with a bit of wine, as cheese fondue.A meat plate, wine, and a view of the mountains on the GoldenPass Classic. Not a bad ride.Bernese Oberland mountain views from the GoldenPass Classic, en route from Montreux to Zweisimmen.Interlaken to Lucerne by train, turquoise glacier lakes set in wrap-around mountains.Lucerne's Water Tower (Wasserturm) and famous Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrucke).Chur, Switzerland's oldest city, is our jumping off point for the Bernina Express train.Colorful Arcas Square, Old Town Chur.Filisur Village, en route to the Bernina Pass.Riding over the Bernina Pass (2,253m), Tirano to Chur.More Bernina Express train views…Frau Gerolds Garten in Zurich West – an urban space filled with art, pop-up cafes, restaurants, and good energy. Not exactly the traditional Zurich I had in mind.

Tips for Traveling Switzerland by Train

For such a small country, Switzerland features a vast rail system, including around 20,000 km worth of tracks that cut through mountains and over passes in a manner you think ought to be impossible. Not only can you get almost anywhere and everywhere in Switzerland by train, but you travel through absolutely stunning scenery as you do. There are usually frequent departures (e.g., hourly) for connections between main cities and towns, making it easy to remain flexible with your itinerary.

Finding Swiss Train Schedules: I found SBB’s website easy to use to check train schedules. The site will indicate if a specific train is expected to be busy, which proves useful in deciding which train to take and whether or not to make a reservation. I also used Eurail’s Rail Planner App for checking train times on my iPhone. This app does not require an internet connection, so it’s great for travelers who don’t happen to have mobile data (or wish to save their bandwidth for something else).

Getting Advice on Switzerland Train Itineraries: When we gave a talk on Haiti in London earlier in the year at the Destinations Show, I stopped by the Switzerland stand to ask for itinerary advice as I was worried about trying to squeeze in too much. I received advice on the spot from Switzerland Travel Centre (STC) that fortuitously flipped around my original plans. We continued the conversation on email to settle our final itinerary. STC is a sort of an all-Switzerland travel agency that advises on itineraries, books customized trips and sells Swiss train passes. STC takes care of transport logistics and accommodation, but in a way that allows customers to travel independently. Disclosure:STC kindly provided our train reservations on the GoldenPass Classic and Bernina Express, and organized our Cheese Train experience.

Storing luggage between seats: Unfortunately, we didn’t figure this trick out until the end of our journey. While some trains have storage racks at the front or end of the train wagon, many of the first class Swiss trains feature space between seats where you can slide your luggage on its side on the ground. Much easier than trying to lift it onto the racks above.

Affordable mobile data: If you have an unlocked smartphone, a mobile data plan in Switzerland is quick and easy. Swisscom offers a great deal where you pay 2Chf/day for unlimited mobile data (throttled after 2GB). Just buy a prepaid SIM card for 20Chf (you get that same amount in credit) and you're good to go. Great coverage throughout the country, too.

Using a Eurail Pass in Switzerland

My mom and I each traveled with a 1st Class Eurail Global Pass in Switzerland (and Germany). This made it quite straightforward and easy to get around as reservations were not required for any of the regular (i.e., non-Scenic) trains we took. This provided lots of flexibility as we could decide on the fly when we wished to depart for our next destination, allowing us to shift plans as we went. For example, on my return I decided to stop off in Munich for the night to visit friends instead of heading straight to Berlin. Disclosure: Eurail kindly provided us with our Global Passes.

Note: Eurail passes are for non-European citizens and residents. If you are a European citizen then you can get a similar train pass called the Interrail Pass. You can read more about how to use that train pass and its benefits through the Interrail experiences of our friends Ivana and Gianni.

Choosing a Eurail Pass

There are endless options regarding which Eurail pass to choose. My advice is to figure out the general route you want to take and then see what the best option is for that route. For example, if you are only going to be in two or three countries, then one of the Regional Passes might be a more economical option for you than the Global Pass (28 countries). Eurail’s customer service is very responsive, especially on social media, so just ask for advice on what type of Eurail pass best matches your desired itinerary. Note: If you have a little flexibility with your budget, I can recommend that traveling in 1st class offers noticeable luxury and comfort: bigger seats, fewer people, and occasional free wifi.

Cost benefits of a Eurail Pass

Whether a Eurail Pass is cost-effective depends on your itinerary. If you plan only to take short trains in a limited area or region, then it might be less expensive to buy tickets directly. However, if you have some longer train journeys planned or you’re traveling in a country with expensive train routes (e.g., Switzerland) then it’s likely a Eurail Pass will prove cost effective.

To get a sense of whether a Eurail Pass makes sense from a cost standpoint, go to the website of the national railways service in the countries where you wish to travel and calculate the cost of your trip. Understand that some countries offer tickets that are cheap when purchased in advance, but nearly double in price when you buy them the day before or the day of the journey. Seat61 is an excellent resource for European train travel. Note: If the cost of buying tickets directly is similar to that of a Eurail Pass, go for the pass as it saves you the hassle of waiting in railway ticket lines and provides you with additional flexibility to change your plans as you go.

Understanding when reservations are required with a Eurail Pass

Here are the two easiest ways I found to obtain this information:

Eurail Timetable: Search for the route you want to take and the timetable will tell you whether a reservation is required, recommended, or not applicable at all. I used this to research our Berlin – Basel train and decided to make a reservation after seeing it was recommended. I was glad we purchased reservations and had assigned seats, as our train was full.

Eurail Rail Planner App: When you are searching for a train schedule within the app, select the option indicating “Trains without compulsory reservations.”

Using your Eurail Pass on Switzerland’s Scenic Trains

Switzerland features a collection of what they call “Scenic Trains” that occasionally require Eurail Pass holders to make separate reservations. You can find out the details of what is needed for each of the trains here.

Switzerland Travel: Accommodation, Food, Recommendations

Switzerland is not an inexpensive destination, especially after the government unpegged its currency, the Franc, from the Euro earlier this year. So it's possible to travel more cheaply than we did, but when you travel with your mom, she gets to call the shots on budget and comfort level. Who was I to argue?

Geneva Practical Details

Accommodation: Hotel Bel’Espérance – Run by the Salvation Army, it would be hard to beat the location of this hotel. Rooms are simple, but very clean. Hint: bring food back to the hotel and eat dinner on the rooftop terrace as you watch the sun set over Lake Geneva.Restaurants: Pizzeria da Paolo – We stumbled upon this restaurant our first night in Geneva and it is the real Italian deal – great pizza, roasted vegetables and salads. Super busy, so make a reservation or be prepared to take a drink at the bar until a table becomes available.Geneva Public Transport Passes: Hotels often provide guests with public transport passes, so be sure to ask about this when you check in.

Montreux Practical Details

Accommodation: Hotel du Grand Lac Excelsior – I chose this place because it mentioned “lake view” and boy, they weren’t lying (see below). From what we could tell, all rooms here face the lake (we were on the 3rd floor). It's a bit of a walk from the Montreux train station, but the views are worth it. From the hotel it's a 20 minute walk to Château de Chillon.

My hotel choice in Montreux = mom approved.

Montreux Card: Your hotel will likely provide you with a Montreux Card, good for public transport and a discount for the Château de Chillon.

Tickets and Reservations: You can buy your tickets for the Cheese Train (runs December to April, Thursday to Sunday) at the Montreux Train Station. The price ranges from 39Chf to 89Chf depending on whether you have a Eurail Pass or Swiss Pass. Try to book in advance as the Cheese Train can fill up quickly.

In all honesty, we first hoped to take the Chocolate Train after seeing it listed as #1 on this list of top European Train Trips, but we were too early in the season (Chocolate Train departures begin in May). Chocolate Train meet bucket list.

GoldenPass Classic Practical Details

GoldenPass Classic vs. Panoramic: Both of these trains take the same route. The Classic train has a rather cool, interior that harkens back to a bygone era while the Panoramic train features large, glass windows lending more visibility of the mountains around. The Cheese Train features wagons similar to the GoldenPass Classic, so if you've already take a GoldenPass Classic trip, then choose the Panoramic train for this segment.Tickets and Reservations: While reservations were not needed for the GoldenPass Classic train that we were on, the conductor told us that during high season (summer months) reservations are essential. Even though they add extra wagons at that time, trains are often sold out for weeks in advance. We did not need reservations for the other two segments of the journey.Food and drink: We were offered a smoked meat and cheese platter that was delicious. One would have been more than enough for the two of us. Given the high price of food in Switzerland, it's actually a pretty good deal at 19Chf. Ideally, reserve one of these meat platters at the same time as you purchase your ticket or make your seat reservation.Disclosure: Our reservation and meal on the GoldenPass Classic was organized and provided to us by Switzerland Travel Centre in London.

Lucerne Travel: Practical Details

Accommodation: Waldstaetterhof Hotel, Lucerne – If you are looking for a place near the train station (as we were), this is a good choice. Convenient location, comfy rooms and good breakfast included in the price of the room.Lucerne Walking Path: We followed the Lucerne Tourism Office's walking path of old town that is marked in red on their official maps. It's a great walk that took us to the ramparts above the city, as well as into all the little squares and alleys through the medieval old town. Recommended.Eating and Drinking: There are endless eating and drinking options along the Rathausquai where you can sit outside and gaze at the river. For something different we can recommend the vegetarian curries at Kanchi Indian Restaurant.

Chur Travel: Practical Details

Accommodation: Hotel Drei Könige – This hotel serves as a convenient base for taking the Bernina Express train. It is about a 5-10 minute walk from the train station and on the edge of Chur old town. Our room was not especially large, but I believe there are other options.Restaurants: We enjoyed a really lovely meal at Malena Empanaderia, a little restaurant run by an outrageously friendly Argentine family. Empanadas are the real deal, as is the homemade dulce de leche. Good salads and selection of Argentine wines as well. Da Mamma offers a good and affordable lunch deal.

Bernina Express Reservations: You can use your Eurail pass for the Bernina Express, but you need to get a seat reservation in advance if you want to sit in one of the panoramic cars (both 1st and 2nd class). We highly recommend this – the views with the wide windows are just fantastic.Round-trip journey: We took the Berinina Express from Chur to Tirano (2 hour stop) and back to Chur. The round-trip journey was ideal. It makes for a 10-hour day, but it doesn't feel that long. Also, as the light and angles are different each way it doesn't really feel as though you are repeating the same territory. If you take the train only one way, then you would take a bus from Tirano to Lugano (separate seat reservation needed).Taking photos from the Bernina Express: While the panoramic windows offer a great view, they don't always make for the best photos because of glare and reflections. At the end of some of the panoramic cars there is a place whose windows can be adjusted and drawn. Several photographers shared the window to get clearer shots of the landscape and train.Lunch in Tirano, Italy: It's a nice bonus that you get to have lunch in Italy as part of the Bernina Express train experience. There are several restaurants right by the train station, but they looked a little too touristy for us so we walked into old town Tirano and had a wonderful lunch at Tratoria Gagin (Piazza Cavour 7, Tirano). It was full of locals. Food was good and prices reasonable.

Zurich Travel: Practical Details

Accommodation: 25hours Hotel Zurich West: We would never have discovered Zurich West — the tech, startup, artistic, and hip part of Zurich had we not stayed at 25hours Hotel Zurich. The hotel's design and approach is just fun, from clever signage to thoughtful details in our room and in common areas. Just about everything features some sort of meaning or symbolism. After a week of cheese, smoked meats and heavy foods we also appreciated the light Israeli-inspired cuisine at the restaurant. Disclosure: Our night at 25hours Hotel Zurich West was kindly provided to us.

Got a little too comfortable at 25hours Hotel lobby in Zurich and almost missed my train.

Exploring Zurich West: Even if you don't stay in Zurich West, it's worth taking the tram there to get a feel for “new” Zurich and to witness how a former industrial area became known for artists, creativity, and startups. Take a walk to the Viadukt and enjoy the big market hall and other shops and restaurants built under the train tracks. Then continue to the Freitag Tower, fashioned from old shipping containers, and finish your exploration with a visit to Frau Gerolds Garten. A very cool vibe.

Note: For the most part we booked the hotels above via Expedia or Booking.com just a few days before we'd arrive in a destination. Employing this approach, we found the prices cheaper than booking directly with the hotel. Tip: always check both — direct booking and online travel sites — to see which option yields the best price. Note: We took our trip in the shoulder season. If you are traveling during the high season, you ought to consider booking further in advance than we did.

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About Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott is a writer, storyteller, speaker and tourism development consultant. She aims to help turn people's fears into curiosity. She harbors an obsession for artichokes and can bake a devastating pan of brownies. You can keep up with her adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And you can learn more about her on the About Page and on LinkedIn.

Comments

Love this post so much! My mother and I have traveled to Switzerland to ski for the past 12 years (similarly to yourself, wanderlust also runs deep within my family) We usually take the train from Geneva, Zurich or Milano to ski over in Zermatt. Either way, I know what ‘mom approved hotels’ consist of, along with the amazing taste of the fondue and swiss wine – worth every bite.

Perri, seems like Switzerland is the place to travel with mothers, with “mom-approved” hotels and more! The one place we didn’t get to that was on my original wish list was Zermatt (and several Swiss seemed surprised we weren’t going there) – a good reason to return 🙂

How wonderful to be there with your mother.
Exquisite pictures and wonderful descriptions!!! I’m convinced — want to go there. But it does look complicated.
If we ever do go, you can arrange our itinerary! (;-)
Love.

Dee Dee, I’m happy to help out if you do decide to travel in Switzerland! Wasn’t too complicated in the end, but the challenge was just choosing the itinerary when there were so many choices of great train rides and places to visit. But as you know, sometimes less is more when it comes to travel experiences 🙂

Reading this was very nostalgic for me. I took a similar trip with my Mom (on a tour) in 1988. Both of her
parents emigrated to the US when young and although we had been briefly in Switzerland together 20 years earlier, we wanted to go back together, so spent 19 days on a train and bus tour of Austria and Switzerland.
She is now gone, but I have great memories of that trip and never had any regrets about doing it. We met some of her distant cousins and they took us to places where her father had lived as a boy.

Marie, thanks so much for sharing the story of your family and the trip you took with your mother to Switzerland. Sounds like quite a special with your mother, especially as you were able to connect with distant family along the way. I can imagine that the memories from that trip are even more special today.

What a great way of reunion! Thanks for some useful tips, too. Starting our Interrail adventure in the south of Europe tomorrow, so I found them pretty handy. ps: You look so much like your mother, Audrey 🙂

Ivana, good luck with your upcoming Interrail journey! I just returned from a week of using Eurail to get from Berlin to Barcelona and back so have even more tips for using the passes 🙂 If you’re going through France, try to reserve your seat in advance if you can as there is a sort of limit of how many seats they will give up to train passes. And, use the Rail App to see if there are alternative routes that don’t require a reservation. Good luck and enjoy!!

Wow this is a fantastic post Audrey! Absolutely love your pictures, descriptions and all of the detailed information you’ve provided. Perhaps I should take my Mum on this sort of trip, it sounds just wonderful! Particularly love the look and sound of the Cheese Train & that Château de Chillon in Montreu really does look straight out of a fairytale! 🙂

Laura, glad this piece sparked some ideas for a trip you might want to do with your mother. I tried to put together all the information that I needed to plan our trip so that others may benefit. And yes, the cheese train is rather fun 🙂

Hi!! Thank you for sharing your itinerary. I am planning to travel from Zurich to Geneva. I was wondering how many days you took because I am planning to give 9 nights to Switzerland! Would you recommend me to buy a rail pass? Thanks!

As to whether I would buy a rail pass depends on how many days you’ll be traveling by train during the 9-day period. If you’re only taking 1 or 2 trips, then it’s probably not worth it. But, if you’re taking more than five trains and you want to do one of the specialty trains like the Bernina Express the a rail pass might be more economical and provide you with more flexibility. Enjoy your trip!

This post is very helpful. My wife and I are going to Switzerland over New Year’s for the first time. We purchased the Swiss Travel Pass. My question is, how do you reserve seats on trains that require reservations? Did you use the Eurail site?

Adam, great choice to explore Switzerland over the New Year holiday! We used Switzerland Travel Center to make seat reservations in advance on the special trains that required it (e.g., Bernina Express) or we went to the station the morning/day before and made a reservation in person. However, for all the other regular train rides we didn’t make reservations as there was always plenty of space. Hope this helps and have a great trip!

About Us

We are Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott, the husband-and-wife storytelling team behind Uncornered Market. From the United States, based in Berlin, world-bound. Through our stories, advisory, and speaking we are creating a movement of travelers who live at the intersection of adventure, deep travel and life experiences, and caring for our planet and its people. More than 90 countries later, we are still going...and still married. Read More

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